A close aide to Ron Paul has clarified the presidential hopeful’s feelings about the LGBT community: We give him the heebie-jeebies.

Right Wing News has a lengthy post from Eric Dondero, who worked as a Paul staffer from 1987 to 2003, which discusses Paul’s views toward Jews, blacks, Hispanics and gay people.

It puts the whole racist newsletter in a new light (and doesn’t exactly paint Dondero as a paragon of diversity).

“Is Ron Paul a ‘racist.’ In short, no. I worked for the man for 12 years, pretty consistently. I never heard a racist word expressed towards blacks or Jews come out of his mouth. Not once. And understand, I was his close personal assistant. It’s safe to say that I was with him on the campaign trail more than any other individual, whether it be traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska or Boston, Massachusetts in the presidential race, or across the congressional district to San Antonio or Corpus Christi, Texas…

One caveat: He is what I would describe as “out of touch,” with both Hispanic and Black culture. Ron is far from being the hippest guy around. He is completely clueless when it comes to Hispanic and Black culture, particularly Mexican-American culture. And he is most certainly intolerant of Spanish and those who speak strictly Spanish in his presence, (as are a number of Americans, nothing out of the ordinary here.)

Though Dondero denies Paul is an anti-Semite, he does say the candidate is rabidly anti-Israel and has called for the abolition of the Jewish state “and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs.” He also claims Paul is a staunch isolationist who feels America should have stayed out of WWII because “saving the Jews,” was absolutely none of our business.

But what about them homosexuals?

Is Ron Paul a homo-phobe? Well, yes and no. He is not all bigoted towards homosexuals. He supports their rights to do whatever they please in their private lives. He is however, personally uncomfortable around homosexuals, no different from a lot of older folks of his era.

In 1988, Ron had a hardcore Libertarian supporter, Jim Peron, Owner of Laissez Faire Books in San Francisco. Jim set up a magnificent three-day campaign swing for us in the SF Bay Area. Jim was what you would call very openly gay. But Ron thought the world of him. For three days we had a great time trouncing from one campaign event to another with Jim’s gay lover. The atmosphere was simply jovial between the four of us. (As an aside we also met former Cong. Pete McCloskey during this campaign trip.)

We used Jim’s home/office as a “base.” Ron pulled me aside the first time we went there, and specifically instructed me to find an excuse to excuse him to a local fast food restaurant so that he could use the bathroom. He told me very clearly, that although he liked Jim, he did not wish to use his bathroom facilities. I chided him a bit, but he sternly reacted, as he often did to me, Eric, just do what I say. Perhaps “sternly” is an understatement. Ron looked at me directly, and with a very angry look in his eye, and shouted under his breath: “Just do what I say NOW.”

Wow, who knew Paul threw bitch diva fits?

Dondero also recounts an incident, years later at a campaign stop in South Carolina, when Paul swatted a gay supporter’s hand away rather than shake it. The incident bothered one of Paul’s staffers to the point where he almost resigned over it (but didn’t, naturally.)

“Again, let me stress. I would not categorize that as ‘homo-phobic,’ but rather just unsettled by being around gays personally. Ron, like many folks his age, very much supports toleration, but chooses not to be around gays on a personal level. It’s a personal choice. And though, it may seem offensive to some, he has every right in my mind to feel and act that way.”

Does someone want to explain to Dondero exactly what “homo-phobic” [sic] means?

the statement was unauthorized for one thing. secondly, even if he did get the heebie jeebies, i wouldn’t blame him.

Dec 27, 2011 at 12:57 pm · @Reply ·

Rupert

Be careful what you wish for. You want Santorum, Bachmann or Perry as president? Keep up the smears on Ron Paul, and play into the hands of extremist GOP party bosses and they’ll play you like useful idiots. Dondero has an agenda, and his post was likely ghost-written by a GOP operative.

Dec 27, 2011 at 1:07 pm · @Reply ·

LandStander

Someone should tell Ron Paul that you do not catch gay from toilet seats.

Dec 27, 2011 at 1:09 pm · @Reply ·

Ryan

Again… nothing damning about Ron Paul. These attacks against an honest candidate with integrity are just getting sad.

Dec 27, 2011 at 1:34 pm · @Reply ·

AedanRoberts

Wow. Paultards are out in force. I hope they know their rabid, over-zealous and often bigoted defense of their Man makes these kinds of articles more likely to happen and ironically more likely to be believed.

Take @1 for example. Can’t blame someone for getting Heebie-Jeebies from gay people? Maybe you need to shut the fuck up, educate yourself, and get off the gay news site. Go on. Out.

@buck kennedy: Would you care to elaborate or did you just come here to take your dump and not flush?

Dec 27, 2011 at 3:19 pm · @Reply ·

TMikel

There are no – NO – viable candidates from the GOP/tea party for the next presidential election. Dondero claims that while in California, Paul was “jovial” with Peron and his partner, yet would not use their bathroom, prefrerring to go to a fast food restaurant for that purpose. He thought a fast food restaurant would present fewer germs? Also, saving Jewish people during WWII was none of our business? It was every thinking and sane person’s business. Paul is bigoted, reactionary and extremely dangerous to LGBT rights and those of the rest of the country. God help us all if he should be nominated let alone elected!

Dec 27, 2011 at 4:33 pm · @Reply ·

Kieran

Key word here is “former” aide. As in probably told by the Ron Paul campaign his services were no longer needed.

Hell hath no fury….

Dec 27, 2011 at 4:41 pm · @Reply ·

Philip

Why? I don’t know one gay person who would fuck him with someone else’s dick.

Dec 27, 2011 at 4:45 pm · @Reply ·

MKe

This isn’t even a little surprise they all are.

Dec 27, 2011 at 5:22 pm · @Reply ·

missanthrope

Have you guys ever seen when Sasha Baron Cohen punked Ron Paul with his flamboyantly gay Bruno character, by the way Ron Paul reacted, I’m sure he’s a little more than uncomfortable with gay people.

Dec 27, 2011 at 5:57 pm · @Reply ·

Marco

Well, I’m not a “Paultard” by any means. I do agree with him on a number of issues; but I’m backing President Obama in the 2012 election. That aside, frankly, I don’t give f*** if he is uncomfortable around gays; as long as he does not use his position to further legal discrimination and separatist legislation that truly hurts gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people in this country. I can’t begin to tell you the people that make me feel uncomfortable. But I’d never prevent them from getting married, having basic civil rights or allow open and direct discrimination against them. All the people screaming foul at this unofficial and unsubstantiated claim, should ask themselves, who they are attracted to and what the racial/ethnic/economic makeup of their friend circle is. The just doesn’t feel comfortable around gays…so what?

I think this is stupid, honestly. So if he kissed a guy in support of his gay constituents he’d be “good to go” even if he went on to tactfully present a position that does not support gay rights? “Well he likes us; but he doesn’t want us to actual live equally, and that’s ok.” We too often give our support to politicians, celebrities, etc. who will most assuredly accept whatever honor, magazine cover, fan base we can throw at them; but when it comes to actually supporting US, they are nowhere to be found. Change your priorities people. Just because some people are nice to us; doesn’t make them our friends and vice versa.

Dec 27, 2011 at 6:51 pm · @Reply ·

tjr101

Isn’t Ron Paul a Republican? Why is anyone surprised by this? Ron Paul is a part of the GOP for a reason, he is uncomfortable with anyone that is not in his view ” normal.” That is, straight, rich, white male. Hence he identifies with the Republican party and will enact Republican policies.

Yeah he can be jovial with gays, just like Bush was with Ken Mehlman. So long as you do your job, you’ll be fine.

Dec 27, 2011 at 7:06 pm · @Reply ·

inONEear

The guy is a doctor, a surgeon infact and would obviously know that you cannot catch a virus from a toliet seat. That’s how much of a smear this story is and I hope everyone can see through it.

On the ‘Ron Paul is a Republican’ argument ‘of course he is anti-gay’ he is the actually a Libertarian. He beleives in individual freedoms and personal liberty. Does that mean he doesn’t support your group- YES, because he doesn’t support groups he supports individuals right to do whatever the hell they want whether I, you or they agree. He believes anyone should be able to get married to whomever they want.

Wake up- not even Obama (DEMOCRAT)agrees with that. Your attacks on one party or another are completely ridiculous! Most of them are saying the same bullshit! NOT THIS GUY.

Dec 27, 2011 at 7:17 pm · @Reply ·

M. Nolan

Hello there. I’m Mike, and I am not gay. I’m not going to try and snow-job you with tales of my gay friends, and how I lost hetero friends when I not only allowed “sodomites” into my house, but proclaimed publicly in my Southern Baptist church that I felt many anti-gay Christians were an affront to the message they are tasked to share with the world(I’ll only mention it.) For the purposes of this conversation, just consider me as another non-gay person who is sometimes uncomfortable around gays but would go to war with you to protect your right to life, liberty and all that.

For the record, I am also uncomfortable with public display of affection between heterosexuals. I cringe when I sit in a theatre watching a movie, and the love scenes move into anything more than a peck on the cheek. I could make arguments that when and where I was raised, such display was just considered inappropriate. I’m too libertarian to accuse society of my own “faults” ~ I accept them, and will make every effort to correct those I can.

Perhaps this cultural brainwashing has damaged me in some way, so that I can never be considered anything but a homophobe in your minds, but I will not apologize for the way I am. I’ll just make a better effort to live in a way that shows anyone who cares that I respect a homosexual’s (more broadly everyone’s) right to live their life, just as I expect folks to respect that I have the right to chose how I live mine (so long as I do not interfere with other’s rights.)

The folks who are accusing Paul of racism and homophobia are being intellectually dishonest. He’s running in a Republican primary, as the only candidate who voted or endorsed the repeal of DADT. He believes that all individuals should have the same rights in this country, he’s the only one who is opposed to changing the Constitution to define homosexuals out of government sanctioned marriage. When you get into the weeds, Paul has made some statements that should be considered suspect, but in nearly every case there is either another plausible explanation, or he is making a larger Constitutional point ~ usually about the scope of power of the federal government. I do not believe that Paul is homophobic, and I don’t see how anyone could argue that he definitely, or even probably is.

Just in one instance, a Dondero claim from above:

Isn’t it possible that Paul just didn’t want to drop the bomb in a supporters house? Maybe he didn’t want that to be the last impression he left among his fans. Seriously, the claim is that he is afraid or unwilling to drop the deuce in a gay person’s house, so his solution is to use a public restroom in San Francisco? As a long time supporter of Paul I am shocked that the claims coming out are that he is anti-gay, when with the Republican party the fact that one of his long-term close advisors was openly gay would be more “damaging.” I’ve been waiting for that “story” but I’ll bet the MSM is afraid of how that would play in a general.

I apologize to anyone who thinks I’m just another Paulbot intruder here, that is not my intention. I just want folks to consider Paul, on his merits.

Dec 27, 2011 at 7:44 pm · @Reply ·

Allen

I’m not an Obamatard or a warmongering Newtbot, but I’m really scared that Ron Paul might cut off the $4 Billion in Foreign Aid to Israel if elected president. No way should Ron Paul can be supported by the GLBT community. We should ignore him, maybe he’ll just go away.

Dec 27, 2011 at 7:56 pm · @Reply ·

LuckyLinden

Just because Ron Paul doesn’t support discriminatory federal legislation doesn’t mean he’s for gay rights. He’s perfectly happy with some or all of the states discriminating as much as they want, as long as the federal government didn’t get involved. States, he argues, have the right to allow or deny marriage rights, housing discrimination, employment discrimination, etc, as long as its the will of that state’s legislature. So many of the protections gays, howver limited, like black people, women, and the handicapped before us, start or exclusively come from the federal government. (Civil Rights Act, voter protections, women’s rights protections, etc.). Paul wants all of those, including hate crimes protections to go. Because he opposes DOMA is no reason to support this guy. Vote for him and find yourself wondering why you didn’t read the fine print…

Dec 27, 2011 at 8:25 pm · @Reply ·

geoff

@M. Nolan: Didn’t agree with everything you wrote but you definitely raise the level of discourse. You should opine here more often.

What is the deal here with the GOP candidates? Is there a curse on them. Ron Paul is the only GOP candidate I would even think twice about and it seems his ship is set to be sunk.

Dec 27, 2011 at 9:03 pm · @Reply ·

Steve

Ron Paul has repeatedly said that he opposes Federal legislation because he supports “States Rights”.

“States Rights” is a code-word. The same phrase was used during the 1950’s and 1960’s by people who were opposed to civil-rights legislation for black people. It means “Let My State Discriminate”. And, it means “Oppose Federal Equality for those people”.

His continued support for “States Rights”, is properly understood as clear and unambiguous opposition to equal rights.

@KennyDoll: Those weren’t innuendos. Coming from a former Republican insider, I can safely say that John McCain is one of the most corrupt, soul-less people to run for High Office in the last 15 years.

@M. Nolan: No straight person’s definition of homophobia will ever matter here, especially coming from someone who is admittedly uncomfortable with us. Paul is a racist and a homophobe, and you’re a ‘phobe as well. The fact that you are on this site at all simply infuriates me, and I hope you never return.

Jan 1, 2012 at 10:01 pm · @Reply ·

axon

“..Paul is a staunch isolationist who feels America should have stayed out of WWII because “saving the Jews,” was absolutely none of our business.” —- Shouldn’t this “old person” know history? US went in because of Pearl Harbor and because pretty much all of Europe was occupied by Nazis or fascists. It did NOT enter to save Jews, homosexuals, Roms, and anti-Nazis. It probably should have, but it didn’t.

And if this “old person” is so old that he belongs to a generation of white guys totally out of touch with black and Hispanic culture (however strange, since a lot of white people in the sixties were certainly tuned in to the Civil Rights Movement), is he really fit to be president? Then, is any of the GOP candidates?

Jan 1, 2012 at 11:14 pm · @Reply ·

LandStander

Isolationism and non-interventionism are two different things

Jan 2, 2012 at 2:02 am · @Reply ·

NoelF

@M. Nolan: Ronbots patting each other on the back congratualting each other on how reasonable they are.

You qualify as a Ronbot because:
A. you only posted on this site because you troll for ron paul articles to comment on. Lacking that you have zero interest in this site or any gay issues.
B. Your “reasonable” post had a complete invention on why RP didn’t want to use his host’s restroom. You just invented an answer based on nothing.
C. You totally ignore that RP’s objection to DOMA, et al., is only that it would be the federal gov’t taking these measures. He has no philosophical, social, or religious objections when states restrict gays from marrying, adopting, forming civil unions, having hospital visitation rights, etc.

Jan 3, 2012 at 12:40 am · @Reply ·

Alan

I love how rabid, over-zealous this GLBT community really is. LOL …so feaking hypocritical. Try stepping away from the spoon fed glossy mind fuck of a gay-only world you live in and think a little.

Get a grip i say! Some gay people are just fucking freaky; yet unless you feel 100% comfortable with them you are suddenly a homophobe? lol

And Steve… why dont you try actually reading a book about the civil war before you denounce ‘States Rights’ as a code word. States right’s allow us more freedom form the oppressors because it puts the power in the hands of the people that the laws will effect.

And further more, why the hell dose American have to always help Israel? America should shy away from racial imperialist Zionism. I don’t get why gays are so aligned with a philosophy based on biblical text? Why do you supports a ‘Jewish’ nation state in a territory only biblically defined as the ‘Land of Israel.’ The belief that [this] area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the torah… a.k.a. the old testament.

As a gay man not living in the hate pool that is california, it’s a little easier cutting through the bullshit b/c im not pelted by a barrage of disinformation every 2 seconds. Instead of getting your spoon fed disinformation form such publications as this, try doing a little looking of your own. You might find out that not everyone they say, is out to get you, and certainly not Ron Paul.

Oh, and i just love how you people call RP supporters ronbots. In reality it is you being the robot; supporting a candidate/party that does nothing but push forward the status quo. 2 partys that work in unison to hold a monopoly over the political system. The 2 main partys have been playing you a fool for years. You see, it is clearly you who is the robot.